The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

I have written endlessly about how my family can talk strictly in movie lines.  I can't help it.  My parents were big movie fans, especially of mysteries that were also comedies. I like some more serious movies like Gaslight, where I drive my husband crazy afterward saying "Pauuulaaa" like Charles Boyer. Then there is Hitchcock.  If you're a very young person, go check him out, and don't forget Rebecca from the book by Daphne Du Maurier.  Another not to miss is Strangers on a Train, where people meet on a train, each unhappy about someone in their life.  They agree to trade murders, to avoid being discovered because they might have a motive.  It's just a simple trade..."criss-cross".  The same theme is used in the much later comedy, Throw Momma From the Train, with Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito.  They also decide to trade murders, well at least Danny DeVito thinks so and kills Billy Crystal's author book stealing wife but then expects Crystal to kill his annoying mother.  When Crystal refuses DeVito tries wacky methods like blowing a trumpet in her ear while she is sleeping, only she wakes to say, "Holy S*** what a dream I was having, Louis Armstrong was trying to kill me!"  The trading of evil deeds is popular in movies and in books.

I recently read The Last Flight by Julie Clark.  This is the story of a woman, Claire Cook, who has a perfect life.  She is wealthy, wants for nothing and is surrounded by servants.  Her life is elegant.  Claire's husband is a member of a political dynasty, think something like the Kennedys only more flaunting with their money.  The problem is that Claire is deeply unhappy.  Her husband has a terrible temper which frightens Claire and she is certain he tracks everything she does and everywhere she goes.  Bound and determined to find a way out of this dangerous situation, Claire devises a way to disappear. When she goes to the airport to enact her plan, Claire meets another woman, Eva, also in desperate circumstances.  Together they make a plan to switch places (criss-cross).  While they aren't killing anyone like a Hitchcock movie, the two women decide to take each other's flights.  The problem is that the flight Eva is taking, pretending to be Claire, crashes.  Now everyone is looking at a picture of Claire as her famous family's stature has caused the media to post a story and photos of her everywhere.  Hard to disappear when everyone is staring at your face.  As Claire tries to become Eva, she realizes she has traded more than just a airline ticket.

This story is a welcome relief to thrillers in traditional settings.  It is thoughtful and complicated but doesn't get bogged down in too many details.  Characters are well developed but still leave room for the reader to discover more about them as the book progresses. The plot moves forcefully forward making for a quick and satisfying read.  A fun book, it would be great on vacation.

Hubby is about to tell me to "criss-cross" myself into the kitchen to make him some chicken salad.  I wonder what direct flights there are taking off this afternoon.

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

Hello everyone. I hope you are well.

Well, it is October.  I'm sure you needed reminding of the date so there is it, you're welcome.  For me, October is a time when I breathe a slight sigh of relief that there aren't as many hurricanes coming up the coast. I now start dreading something new, turning on the heat and its associated cost. Fall also makes me terribly homesick.  I come from a place where the most excellent apples are grown, cider mills dot the landscape, and pumpkin farms host all kinds of fun activities.  Living near the coast where shrimp are plentiful, but locals have never met, let alone tasted, a decent apple. I miss fall in the north. I suppose for many of you, the crisp air dipping down into the country makes you think of chili, football, and trick or treating.  Some of you participate in the great American debate, is candy corn good or the fall equivalent of melted crayons?  I don't want to discuss politics here but for today I will make an exception.  Candy corn is delicious and for you that don't agree, well, I just shake my head and picture you standing in the corner coveting your Twix.  Feel free, I'll take the corn.  One thing many book lovers have in common is seasonal reading.  You want a great beach book on vacation, a cute little Hallmark Channel-ish Christmas novel, and a spooky read in October.  I think I can help.

I recently read My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon. I have read and reviewed several books by Ms. McMahon, one of my favorites is the The Drowning Kind.  I was anxious to "dive" into her latest.  This is the story of Alison, who lives in a Vermont farmhouse with her family.  They are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, she isn't a fan of the holiday but puts up with her husband's love of it.  Out of the blue, Alison receives a call that her mother is very sick and dying.  Reluctantly, she goes to see her mom in the hospital.  Their relationship is not good.  Alison's mom, Mavis, who is now a famous artist, was an abusive mother.  When Mavis asks to come live the last few weeks of her life with her daughter and family, Alison wrestles with the decision.  Finally, she agrees, hoping they can improve their mother/daughter dynamic. As their time together begins it becomes very apparent something is wrong, Mavis is not who she says.  In fact, Alison is sure that her ill mother is a threat to her own family and has to figure out what is truly going on and how to protect those she loves.

My Darling Girl is the perfect October read.  Despite being set at Christmas, this book will give you the major creeps.  The story is fast moving, interesting, and will leave you feeling uneasy.  What else can I say?  It's fall, this is a fun, spooky read by an established author who doesn't disappoint.  Turn on all your lights, grab this book and some candy corn and make a weekend of it.

For those "crayon criticizers," how do you feel about black jellybeans?